LightScribe is a brand new technology that has been developed by HP that will allow for the direct labelling of DVDs and CDs without the need to resort to stickers or a marker pen. It achieves this through the use of a thin dye coating on the label side of the disc. The LightScribe-enabled CD/DVD disc drive contains a special laser that pumps light into this label to create whatever designs you have created. The light from the laser causes a chemical change in the dye coating that shows up as a visible point on the disc.

Toshiba has signed an exclusive agreement with HP, to manufacture and offers such optical drives. Our review sample didn’t come with any drivers but simply slotting it into a standard bay on a laptop had Windows XP identifying it. To make the most of the drive you’ll need LightScribe-enabled software, which is now supported by Roxio Easy Creator 7.5 and Ahead Nero Burning Rom 6.

The TS-L532L drive has write speeds of 8x for DVD+/- R, 4x for DVD +/- RW, 24x for CD-R and 10x for CD-RW to easily create media. When it comes to using the LightScribe, this will drop to a 2x write feature, which is expected to increase as the technology matures.

In use, the drive is easy to set up and once you’ve designed your label it’s simply a matter of making sure you’ve flipped the disc so the dye coating is facing the laser head. Depending on the detail you’ve created for your template, the drive can take a long time to burn. However, the results are pleasing – in a monochrome way. You won’t be able to buy this drive as a standalone unit to add to your laptop but if you’re about to buy a new laptop it is more than worth asking whether the optical drive supports LightScribe.